brightorangewolf

The "best" series of Thinkpads are the X, T, & W series -- notice that this one is a T410 and therefore included.

This is a good deal imo. Yes, you can get newer laptops with more recent CPUs for $500, but the T410 is a solid machine that comes with a 160gb SSD and 8gb of RAM as well. If I needed a laptop I'd seriously consider it.

But it's not an auto-buy for me. The CPU is 1st gen i5 and we're on 3rd gen at present in new machines, with another set probably coming out in a few months.

At $400 it would be a steal no matter how you looked at it. At $500? Depends on your needs.

alee7

The T-series are very reliable series of business laptops. I have the T400s.

The T4xx series runs T400, T410, T420 and the current model, T430. The "s" models: T400s, T410s, T420s, and the current T430s are the slimmer lighter weight models coming in at about 4lbs or so while the non-"s" model around 5lbs and not as slim... but the regular T4xx series are less expensive.

My T400s is now 4 generations old but still working fine (using it as I type). I upgrade it to 8GB. Its running an Intel Core 2 Duo P9400 2.4Ghz and it runs fine. I can have my Chrome browser with 8 tabs active, Excel, Word and MS-Publisher all running without any slow down.

When you compare this to other T410 on e-bay be sure to compare apples to apples. Some are equipped with only a 1280x800 display. I would 'assume' that the battery is a new one or its cells have be replaced.

You can replace/swap out the CD/DVD and put in another 2.5" HDD (or SSD) using an ultra-bay HDD caddy for more space. Or replace the current SSD with a higher capacity SSD or HDD.

I have friends who are still using older T-series laptops (older than T400 or T500) and if they replace their laptop it will be with another Thinkpad.

Is it worth $500... since other units don't have the exact same config its hard to say. Its close. Definitely worth it at $400 as someone else said. Probably so at $500 since it does have 8GB and the 160GB SSD which many of the other ones don't.

isnus

I agree. It is frustrating when people arbitrarily say they can find some magical deal but do not provide any links.

Sure, this laptop is not top of the line. It is a ruggedly durable Thinkpad for $500. I think it is a heck of a deal for what you're getting but of course it may not be suitable for everyone. Different tools for different jobs.

That being said, this will meet most users needs and last through many beatings.

Acarolinensis

I bought a T520 about a year ago because I got tired of my laptops dying after a couple of years even after being babied. The Compaq whose hard drive crashed and power connector went intermittent; the Dell whose motherboard power circuitry went south. The Dell was after being revived once after its CPU cooling filled up with dust.

I wanted a machine that would last for awhile with my old software. Could see that Windows 8 was going to be interesting so I staked a claim on Windows 7 for the rest of the decade (XP worked fine for the last one). Figure my next computer will be a tablet.

This T410 should last. Yes the CPU is a little old but we're talking an i5 here. I was continually amazed how well the Pentium 4 on my last notebook would claw its way back to the surface. This should do multiple normal tasks fine and stream media without problem. You probably won't be happy if you throw a recent hard core game at it.

Note that it has a Express Card/32 external expansion slot. Here's where you can add USB 3, etc. to keep up with the Jonses. It's also idioot-proofed (hummm, censorship!). Hooked two USB hubs with lots of loads to the T520 - it refused to boot. Bought a couple of wall warts for the hubs - now everybody is happy. This probably was what killed the previous Dell.

ishynarang

I bought had the same laptop from woot a month back. I bought it then and pretty happy with it. It's more of a workhorse and not a gaming laptop. Things to consider:1.rugged look some don't like. 2. Low volume 3.no hdmi

My only complaint. . One usb was not working and I wanted a replacement. They didn't have any so I kept it. Now I see the same laptop on sale. . Hmm.. probably they didn't have then. .Any chance of replacing now? Woot you listening :-)

cmaglaughlin

For what it's worth, I've used a couple "old" T-60's with 1.66 processor, 2 gb ram,...plenty fast to stream media, but have no desire whatsoever to play games. I do use linux. Paid $150 for both on eBay 5 years ago. Terrific machine!

zyodei

alee7 wrote:I can have my Chrome browser with 8 tabs active, Excel, Word and MS-Publisher all running without any slow down.

LOL, I love how much Windows sucks. Counting right now, I have...11 tabs open in Chrome, 29 open in Opera, LibreOffice writer with two long docs, VLC playing music, GIMP, a text editor, 3 large spreadsheets, a 30 page PDF, AWN, full compiz desktop effects, and a non-lightweight distro (ubuntu gnome-classic). Checking memory usage - 2GB! 50% of my 4GB on my X61 ThinkPad. Yep, ought to be speedy, and it is. I would have to open TWICE all that to have to swap. Or I could set up a pretty generous virtual machine with no slowdown, even running alongside all that other stuff.

With this laptop, my full workload would be using 1/4 of available RAM. Nice.

It's sad but true that the #1 driver (other than games) for people to buy new and better PCs is simply what utter rot Windows is.

As a sidenote, for anyone who cares, the Thinkpad line have absolutely the best reputation for Linux friendliness; basically guaranteed 100% working out of the box (volume buttons don't work on mine, only hiccup). From putting a USB in the drive to have a fully installed and productive linux system < 30 easy minutes on ANY laptop in the traditional ThinkPad line (ie, T/W/X). Thinkpads kick ass!

Also, the Trackpoint 'nub' rules. It provides easy and instant two-axis scrolling, similar to how multitouch works on Macs, but better IMHO. Oddly, the Trackpoint behavior in Windows using official Lenovo drivers sucks, enough to be an utter dealbreaker for me.

anstnsky

This is our workhorse laptop at the office and two years ago I would have said this was s great deal.

A lot changes in two years. Ours have been dropping like flies over the past 8 months. Displays needing to be replaced are a major issue and if it's out of warranty that's an expensive problem. The hard drives have been having issues and dropping dead lately too. These have the old iPod style miniature hard drives that you can't find drive enclosures for at Fry's or Micro Center. There's no HDMI out. Big things and little things that add up. I'd go for something with contemporary technology, under warranty, and with better consumer features. And I am in the market for a new laptop.

bgibbard

totally agree with this post. I'm running the T410 as I type. I've owned every other version of this machine for 8 years and am getting read to buy the T430. I then maintain my old ones because I give them to my kids, spouse, parents. They last forever--true workhorse. I bought my current T410 in Jan 2011 and it's nearly identical to the one here. notable-It lacks HDMI out. If I were in market for a $500 T410, I'd call Lenovo tech support and ask why enough became "refurbished" to be sold via woot. What went wrong and what can be done about that. Also, what is offered here for warranty and can you extend it?

---
I have friends who are still using older T-series laptops (older than T400 or T500) and if they replace their laptop it will be with another Thinkpad.

jpochedl

bgibbard wrote:If I were in market for a $500 T410, I'd call Lenovo tech support and ask why enough became "refurbished" to be sold via woot. What went wrong and what can be done about that. Also, what is offered here for warranty and can you extend it?

I would bet that lenovo is starting to clear out stock that they used for warranty replacement / parts. Seeing as these are hitting three years old, and the standard warranty is three years, most people don't pay to extend the mfg warranty, lenovo doesn't need to carry the same amount of replacement stock anymore. So, release them to a site like Woot and recoup some of the costs....

We have about 100 of these around the office between the T410 and T510. And another 80 or so between the T420 and T520. They've been great machines.

dpwellman

I also have, or rather, had one of these (except with BT). For Thinkpads, they are quite beastly (I suppose to drive toward the T4xxS series, right?)

Namely, I wasn't too impressed. There isn't anything here that isn't being done as good or better by other manufacturers, unlike when the T2x and T4x ruled the day.

Lenovo still purportedly test the hell out of these things and call center is based in ATL, GA; however, the T410 is (now was) my last ThinkPad. IBM, according to rumor (and also looking around the "office")has also moved on from Lenovo in favor of. . . well, it doesn't matter. Not Dell, at least. Not Dell.

What's the point of a signature? Everyone can see who wrote this, over there, to the left.

tc1uscg

Pass. Not even close to a decent pricepoint for a system with such outdated hardware. And even if it was stacked with a i7, the SSD drive is a deal breaker. All the HYPE over SSD drives has lived out it's life. Being one who got a tower last year with a 120gb ssd, I soon found you will out grow it in about 5 minutes even though it came with a 2tb data drive and I HAD TO redirect all installs to the data drive. I ended up just going with a 750gb hybrid drive that cost me 3 seconds on boot up but still works as well as the SSD drive it replaced. So, I migh spring 299 for it but for me, it's 200.00 over priced. JMO

glassgrl

ckaminsk

mfeferman wrote:I had this laptop at my last consulting company and it was great. If I needed one, I'd definitely consider it. In fact, I am considering it.

Indeed I agree. I've been using a T410 8GB/250GB RAM/SSD for 2 years now and aside from lacking USB3.0 and chicklet keyboard, I WON'T TRADE IT IN! I passed on newer T430 laptop because its screen was lower-res and smaller drive. I WOULD BUY THIS T410 DEAL if I didn't already have one.

bishophicks

I bought one of these with the same specs last month from TigerDirect for $50 more (grrr). I could not bring myself to buy a Windows 8 machine, I'm not a power user and I'm cheap. It was billed as "off lease".

It's not pretty and it doesn't have the latest geegaws, but it's perfect for what I use it for (web browsing and streaming), it boots in 20 seconds and runs much cooler and quieter than my previous machine.

gap007

Hey, I bought one of these a while ago, works fine. But, the docking station has a lock without the key, now that placed the computer in the docking stationing I can't remove it! Any ideas on how I can remove?

mlatham70

I would just like to set the record straight regarding the diagram that says: "if you want a MAC don't don't purchase this laptop."

I have one of these running Hackintosh and it thinks it is a MACBOOKPRO. It runs as well as a mac at 1/3rd the price. Also runs Ubuntu Linux like a champ right off the install with no need to jerk around with drivers just boot up install and use it. IBM really screwed up selling this portion of the company. In my mind this was a flagship product.

mlatham70

gap007 wrote:Hey, I bought one of these a while ago, works fine. But, the docking station has a lock without the key, now that placed the computer in the docking stationing I can't remove it! Any ideas on how I can remove?

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